Howl
by BellatrixLestrangey
Summary: Because she decided to try to set the forest on fire, a rather enraged spirit turns Azula into a wolf. Naturally she has no memory of her human self and is very confused upon returning to her human form.
1. Torment

Umeron watched the girl furiously light another bush on fire. It flared up in a roaring flash of blue. The human seemed to have no true motivation for doing so, other than misplaced anger. No other reason that he could detect.

He'd have to put a stop to this somehow, lest he see his whole forest go up in flames. And that wasn't an option, it was his duty to make sure that the place remained safe and intact.

Yet he didn't want to hurt the girl either. But a confrontation of any sort, at this rate, would end in a violent quarrel of some sort.

Umeron rubbed his chin mumbling to himself as he stared down at the girl. The same girl who, only moments earlier, had also antagonized a herd of fox antelopes, a rabbaroo, and a duo of wolves. The had been stirring up all kinds of havoc across the forest.

 _Perhaps I should just aim for the confrontation and…elimination_. He thought, combing carefully through the words. _It would be a well-earned punishment_. Even so, he hadn't the heart to hurt the human girl. She was, in his eyes, still a child after all.

A lost and hurt child.

Umeron frowned to himself.

He thought again of the wolves she had terrorized.

And he knew how the situation would be handled.

 **.oOo.**

Azula's lips curled into an angry scowl. She couldn't seem to make a shelter of any kind from these flimsy twigs and branches, the grass rough and scratchy, there were rocks scattered all over the place for her to step on. So she may as well just torch the place.

That would teach it to defy her.

She gave one of the rocks a swift kick so that it landed in the fire she had awakened. She kicked at another and sent it crashing into an oversized rabbaroo. She wasn't particularly aiming for the dumb thing, but it didn't bother her any that it got hit.

She watched the poor animal hop off as quickly as it could manage.

As quickly as the rabbaroo left, a wolf came to replace it. "Just lovely," she hissed, "one more creature this ungodly place sent to assassinate me." She would snuff out the problem before it had a chance to off her.

Fire blazing in her palm, Azula approached the wolf.

Slowly.

Dangerously.

And with vicious intentions.

She lit its tail aflame. The wolf whimpered and yowled.

She was safe. It couldn't snap and tear at her now.

Just as Azula turned her back on the wolf, she heard the sound of her flames dying out. She looked back just on time to see the wolf retreat otherwise unharmed back into the denser parts of the forest. And in its place stood a man…

A spirit, she realized.

Tall and with dark skin half covered in bark sprouting with leaves, small vines, and other blooms. From his eyes ran symmetrical and geometric green markings that ran up to his forehead where they grew obscured by a sweep of dark brown hair. From his head grew a pair of antlers, elaborate with symbols of a written language foreign to her.

His bright green eyes seemed to blaze into her with a calm ferocity as he began an undecipherable chanting.

Narrowing her eyes at the new threat, Azula reignited the fire in her hands.

The fire died in her hands as quickly as she had conjured it up. For a most distracting and intolerable pain flared up first in her abdomen and flaring out from there, until not even an inch of her body wasn't crying out in agony.

Azula clenched her jaw, falling to her knees as the pain grew more unbearable. She was shaking ,she realized, but could do little to refrain.

She could do just as little to restrain the tears that reflexively wet the corners of her eyes.

Digging her nails into the ground, Azula looked up at the spirit. She hoped her gaze was as infuriated as she intended.

"What are you—" she tried, her voice straining.

She looked back down, clawing at the ground against the pain so intensely that her nails began to crack.

She gave a sharp cry of alarm as her muscles seemed to pulse and strain. Each and every one of them twisting as if she had been working them in the very wrong way. She wondered if they truly were tearing.

She squeezed her eyes shut, her tears flowing more freely down her cheeks.

In all of her battles and bending matches, she'd never felt such pain before.

Azula wondered if the spirit was still there, taking in her torment. A shuffle to her right indicated that he was.

She yelped in pain again, as her spine arched in a way that it was never meant to.

Her fingers grew tense and rigid, though she couldn't tell if it was her own doing or not. It didn't matter, she had bigger problems.

Problems that revealed themselves in droplets of blood falling upon the back of her hands, when she had absently placed once again back into the grass. Unable to detect where the blood was dripping from, her stomach knotted at the sight.

Azula felt sick.

Sick and afraid.

Something warm and sticky ran from her nose, over her lips, and down her chin. _That's where the blood is coming from…_

Her thoughts came to an abrupt cut off, as a white hot pain overtook her jaw. The feeling moved inward, lacing her gums with a sensation most unpleasant. Her mouth filled with a coppery metallic taste. She winced and impulsively bit down.

She hadn't even bit down that hard, yet the snap drew blood from her cheeks.

Azula flexed her aching hands.

Or perhaps the flexed on their own.

She was losing control of herself again.

But this time in a more physical sense.

 _Whatever this is,_ Azula thought to herself, _he's making it more painful than it needs to be._ Her head dipped forward, she didn't do anything so truly horrid to deserve this. She felt so dizzy and disoriented. Her vision blurred, darkening around the edges.

And for once she let it happen.

She let herself fall away.


	2. Tracking The Scent

**Snowthewhitewolf: Thank you. ^_^ I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.**

* * *

Her head throbbed and pulsed. Everything in her body ached. And she had not even the slightest hint as to how she ended up lying there in the middle of the clearing. All she that seemed to remain of whatever life she had lived was a name.

Azula.

If she had to guess, she'd say it was her own name.

The wolf closed her eyes and tried to remember something. Anything at all. But nothing came to her. Nothing but an image of a human boy with a scar over his eye. _But who is he?_ She wondered. His face looked familiar. Perhaps she was a pet to him at one point. _But then why would he leave me?_ She rose up from her laying position.

She would have to find him, she decided.

Even if he didn't have any answers for her, at least she wouldn't be alone anymore.

She limped over to the tree line, not entirely sure where to go from there. She whimpered upon putting too much weight on her aching left paw. Balancing her weight as much as possible, she slinked over to the nearest tree where she lay back down.

Azula nuzzled her snout atop her paws. She felt exhausted and weak. Her sight seemed to be growing dim. She let out a low snarl; she had just woken up, she didn't want to go back to sleep. And yet the sleepiness was all too overwhelming.

She gave in, allowing the haze to overtake her weary body.

Just before her vision faded completely to black she caught sight of a small shape bounding out from between the trees.

The little thing was quick too, upon her just before she could fade out completely, but not in time for her to actually make out the blur.

Azula woke up to find a little wolf pup nuzzled under her paws, licking at her muzzle. It gave a happy yip upon noticing her wakefulness. The pup nudged her neck, urging her to get up and follow it. Azula slowly rose up, thankful that the pain seemed to have subsided.

It was nightfall now, the wolf realized.

She had been asleep for much longer than she would have liked to be.

The pup cut her thinking off with an excited leap into the air. With that jump, it dashed out of the clearing and back into the thickness of the forest. Lacking the pup's enthusiasm, Azula decided to follow along.

Cautiously and curiously, her golden eyes scanned the darkness.

A howl cut through the night air.

And yet she didn't recognize it.

She should recognize it.

Azula found the wolf pup sniffing at a tree trunk. Apparently it was just as lost as she. At least the two of them could be lost together. Perhaps they could find a pack together as well. She looked at the pup, who was now running around in circles probably chasing its tail. With her mouth, she picked the pup up, she couldn't have it getting distracted and slowing her down after all.

The pup gave a weak snarl and tried to free itself from Azula's hold. But it only succeeded in waving its hind legs around in the air.

She rolled her eyes, guessing that it was now her job to watch over the pup. And she wondered how it had ended up alone. How she ended up alone. Was she always alone?

Azula faced skyward and listened for the howls to resume. She heard one cut through from the north. And then a series of cheerful yips and yowls. She wandered in the direction of the noise, squeezing herself a particularly dense patch of trees.

To her luck, the howls didn't seem all that distant. A quick sprit would have her there in no time. But she seemed to lack the energy for that and in place of that energy was thirst. Her throat was dry and starved for water.

She sniffed at the air trying to catch a scent of a creek or anything really, that could quench her thirst.

Deciding that they were making poor time anyhow, Azula set the pup on the ground. She wondered if it was thirsty as well. Between its hyper-active half leaps and its inability to stand still, if it was thirsty it showed no sign.

Azula began walking again and immediately regretted putting the pup down; it had found its way between her paws without her noticing, sending her toppling over it and into a nearby tree. Azula gave a soft yip as her backbone collided with the tree. She regained her footing and snarled at the pup. It tucked its tail between its legs and resigned to following her with less joy.

Azula took her focus off of the baby wolf and sniffed at the air again, trying to sort out the scents within it and hoping to find the smell of fish that could lead her to a body of water. And yet all of the smells seemed to intermingle all disorganized, making it difficult for her to latch onto any one scent in particular. She snarled to herself, causing the wolf pup to tremble. She liked at its left ear and bitterly wondered why she couldn't seem to sort the odor from one another. Why was she lacking such a natural ability. Perhaps this is why she got lost in the first place. She closed her eyes and tried again. Putting all of her concentration into the effort, Azula finally found the aroma she was looking for. Now all she had to do was follow it correctly.

Another howl cut through the night, reminding her of her initial goal. Perhaps if she was lucky, the other wolves and the water would be in the same place.

She led the baby wolf through the shadows, her paws making no noise as they fell upon the forest floor. Azula hoped that the pup would stay quiet as to avoid trouble. The last thing she needed was a run in with a platypusbear. Though the night seemed quiet, she couldn't seem to ease her troubled mind. Someone was watching them.

Watching _her_.

 **.oOo.**

Umeron eyed the once human princess. She was a pretty thing really, even as a wolf… _perhaps more so as a wolf, when she can't burn the entire forest to the ground,_ he thought. She made her way under a patch of moonlight. Within he noticed the tinges of blues both dark and azure decorating her otherwise black fur. He hadn't meant for her fur to take on that color. He chuckled, _it just goes to show how stubborn the girl truly is_. She found her own way to bypass his soulbending and to some extent retain a visage of her human self.

Umeron squinted, for the first time noticing the wolf-girl's new companion. A tiny thing, much different than the older wolf he walked with. Tea-brown fur and dark brown, almost black eyes. An interesting pair they made. Truthfully he didn't expect her to find herself a companion so quickly. Much less one so young. He thought for a moment, of taking the pup. He didn't particularly trust her not to hurt it just yet. He drummed his fingers along the trunk of the tree he leaned upon. _I'll let it go,_ he decided. He may as well give the newly turned wolf a chance to prove herself.

This would be truly interesting indeed.


	3. A Clash of Teeth

Azula gave the wolf pup a gentle nudge in the direction of the water, yet the dumb thing refused to drink. And she had no idea how to tell it that this would be their last drink stop until they caught up with the other wolves.

Azula dipped her neck down towards the lake and lapped at the water, perhaps the pup would imitate her. Just as she was withdrawing, the pup crept up beside her and dropped his snout into the water, nearly taking his entire body with it. Azula caught hold of his tail and held the smaller wolf steady as he finished drinking.

He gave a happy yip and darted ahead of Azula. She let him go, hoping that he'd tire himself out soon. The pup was becoming quite a handful and it had only been an hour or two. The tiny thing pranced back out of the forest, turning its head every which way at each new sound the forest produced. Azula considered picking the pup back up and carrying him the rest of the way.

Before she could decide, the pup dashed off again. Her lip gave an irritated quiver, now she'd have to chase the thing before it got itself lost. Or worse, both of them lost.

For a brief moment, she considered just letting the baby wolf go off on its own, that would teach it not to run away from her like that. But the thought of not having his company left her feel inexplicably empty.

She bounded off after the pup. His scent was much more prominent, and much easier to track than that of the lake's. At least she had that to be thankful for. She hustled after the wolf and found him sitting down next to a large rock swishing his tail back and forth.

He had waited for her to catch up.

Right when she was back in sight, he darted off again, leaving Azula to grumble to herself.

She took a deep breath and sped up after the pup.

She followed it for a few more paces. _Perhaps he did know where he was going_ , Azula thought. Bathing themselves in the moonlight, lay a pack of wolves.

The pup trotted over to the nearest wolf he could find and looked back at her.

Azula slowly padded along to join it.

She should be happy that she found a pack. But she couldn't help the sense of growing unease fluttering in her belly.

The older wolf raised its head to look up at her, its singed tail stopped its lazy flicking. The wolf stood and snarled, its lip curling up to reveal a row of sharp teeth. The pup sat down next to it, as if he had nothing to fear at all.

Of course he had nothing to fear. The other wolf didn't have some vendetta against _him_.

Azula put a halt on her stride, but the other wolf was quick to fill in the space she'd left between them. The wolf sensed something about her, she could feel it. It sensed something about her that it didn't like. The wolf now stood right before her, looming a foot or so taller. It began to circle her.

She wouldn't let it continue to do so. So she mimicked its circling.

Without warning the other wolf slammed into Azula, sending her tumbling into the ground.

She stood back up, her side throbbing furiously. Somehow the other wolf had gotten a sizable nip in as well. Azula pounced and snapped back. It was enough to draw blood, but not to bring it down. The other wolf swiped it's paw down on Azula's back, throwing her to the forest floor.

It was going for her neck.

The wolf pup gave a few small yips.

Azula got up just on time and hustled out of the way of the other wolf's fatal attack. She had a striking feeling that this pack wasn't hers and wouldn't be taking her in anytime soon. The wolf made a leap at Azula again.

But before it could make its move, another much older wolf bounded up the ravine, coming in between the clashing pair.

It fixed its burning yellow eyes on Azula.

And then it turned to the wolf with the singed tail.

The singed wolf bowed its head and backed away, leaving Azula if that was her cue to do the same. The pup pranced over to Azula, flicking its tail happily, before she could come to any sort of decision. The older wolf began walking away.

Azula decided that it was in her best interest to pick up the wolf pup and follow it.


	4. Fishing and Walking

Some months had gone by since Azula had fought the wolf with the singed tail. She'd quarreled with the same wolf twice more within the first month. The first time she'd earned herself a pretty quick victory only to have it erased when the other wolf came back for a second round.

It was a wonder that the rest of the pack had still welcomed her in.

Moreover, with rather open arms.

Azula had a feeling it was only because she had the pup trailing behind her.

Even so they took care of her well, since she was having trouble doing so herself, missing some basic instinct. And they took care of the pup.

Pretending to simply be watching the pup, Azula tagged along when they taught him to hunt with hopes that she could learn a thing or two as well.

She also came along when they taught the pup to build itself a shelter.

And on occasions she and the pup would be invited to play with the rest pack. Play that mostly consisted of rolling on the ground tackling each other and nipping softly at each other.

The wolf with the singed tail was there too.

For the most part it seemed as if their dispute was forgotten. It was only when important pack debates arose that their vendettas resurfaced.

Despite it all she was beginning to feel at home.

Epically when the pup snuggled up next to her, it either propped its head up against her side or burrowed under her paws waiting for her to lick at its head between its ears.

On some nights, the nights when Azula felt on edge enough to pace around the entrance to their cave, the pack's leader would join them. She would ease Azula to sleep, like a mother she never knew she wanted.

Azula clawed at the surface of the river, just barely missing the fish she had been stalking. That's what she got for reminiscing instead of paying attention. Or perhaps the pup's howling is what had chased the fish away.

Azula she stared back at the water waiting for the fish to reappear. The pup trotted up to her and sat down, his head moving back and forth with the fish. Azula made another swipe and missed again. Growing impatient she repeated the motion with more force, nearly knocking herself into the river.

The pup rocked happily back and forth.

She decided to try something different, this time snapping her jaws at the fish. Finally she had caught it. Azula set it on the floor between she and the wolf, urging him to take the first bite. He just stared stupidly at the offering.

Azula rolled her eyes and took the first bite.

The pup eyed the morsel with curious eyes. He nudged at it with his paw before giving it a small nibble.

Azula blinked, her eyes suddenly clouding over.

A woozy sensation overcame her.

Ignoring the feeling, she looked back at the pup.

Her body swayed slightly before it pitched over.

The last thing she heard was the desperate, distressed yelp of the pup.

Her head it the floor, she couldn't move, not that she had the energy to do so.

The pup leapt atop her back, pawing at her neck.

The wolf princess didn't stir.

 **.oOo.**

Azula awoke to a tickling sensation on her bare skin.

 _The wolf_ , she remembered.

She waited for the wolf to pounce off of her, before pulling herself upright, sitting on her feet. She rubbed at her eyes with her hands.

 _Her hands!_ She looked down, flexing her fingers.

It was such a foreign but familiar sensation.

She picked up the pup and brushed her fingers over his soft fur, not entirely sure what to do next. She held him closer, he was warm against her cool and furless skin. She frowned, she wanted her fur back so that she wouldn't have to deal with the cold any longer.

Azula squeezed her eyes shut trying to recall what had happened to her. She had been trying to catch a fish…no, she caught the fish. And then she just fell.

Just the way it was when she woke up alone in the middle of the woods.

 _What is wrong with me_ , she wondered. She ran her hands through the only fur she had left, the fur on her head that cascaded dark and silky over her shoulder.

The pup wriggled around in her arm.

With nothing else to do, Azula stood.

And on two legs, as she had known the humans to do.

She found her stance shaky and unbalanced, she was almost afraid to take a step.

Trying to keep herself properly balanced, she set one foot in front of the other. The pup leapt safely out of her arms as she fell back to the floor, something she seemed particularly good at recently. She resumed her sitting position and inspected her arms.

Unfamiliar arms.

Arms that were now decorated with tiny cuts and scrapes.

She imagined that her knees didn't look much better.

The pup sat there panting, giving her that same dopey look it always seemed to give her.

At least one of them was unharmed.

Azula glanced at her hands and then over the length of her new human body.

It was definitely going to take some getting used to.


	5. Speak

She continued to sit there, nudging at a rock with her pointer. A beam of sunlight showering her shoulders and back in a soothing warmth. Her skin tingled pleasantly in the heat.

Azula found that she quite enjoyed being able to lift things up and carry them without having to use her mouth. She smiled, as she twisted the rock around to inspect it. She then tossed it from one hand to the other, working on her coordination.

The pup rocked happily back and forth in rhythm with the rock.

Occasionally she'd lift her hand a tad too far to the right, and the rock would find its way to the grass below.

She reached over to pick it back up and then retried. With each attempt Azula found that she could keep up this game longer than the time before.

Upon growing tired of it, the princess tossed the rock into the river and watched it sink. She let the pup leap into her arms. She ran her fingers through its fur for some time before turning to dip her feet into the water, taking in the cool sensation as the small currents swirled around her ankles.

Deciding that the feeling was as pleasing sun on her skin, she let herself slid the rest of the way into the water with care to keep the pup from getting wet.

Azula let the water rush over her.

She smiled down at the pup and dipped his left paw into the water. He seemed to enjoy it so she placed his other paws just beneath the surface and watched him paddle them along. She lifted him out of the water and watched him continue to paddle in the air.

She laughed; he was as ridiculous as ever.

Azula sat in the water for a few more moments before deciding it was getting to cold. She set the pup on the shore before pulling herself out of the water.

She heard the pup snarl and yelp.

Azula turned her head, wondering what he was excited about this time. Standing some feet away from her was a man. He extended his arm, draped over it were a few neatly folded and long fabrics. She stared at the quizzically as they fluttered in the mid-afternoon breeze.

"Take it." He offered, giving his hand a firm shake so to rustle the cloth.

Azula cocked her head to the side, sunlight catching on and reflecting off of her water adorned hair.

Umeron sighed, understanding. He walked behind her and tugged the garment over her shoulders, one sleeve at a time. "You can't just walk around naked anymore. I mean you can, but you'll get some…looks."

Azula nodded.

"You can talk too you know?" Umeron stated.

Azula nodded again, this time parting her lips. The words were right there on them, but she couldn't quite figure out how to get them out correctly. So she simply pressed her lips together again without a sound.

"It's not that difficult really. In fact I think you'll find that speech comes quite naturally to you." Umeron shrugged.

Azula nodded once more. He couldn't tell if she was doing that just to bother him or if she truly didn't want to give speaking a try yet.

"Alright then." Umeron clasped his hands together. "Take care of Minmin."

"Minmin…" Azula repeated. She looked down at the pup who busied himself pawing playfully at her feet. "Minmin." She said again.

"See I told you it would come naturally." Umeron half-smiled. He tapped his hand against a tree trunk before sinking into it.

Azula bent down and lifted the pup back into her arms, deciding that it was probably a good time to find her pack once more. She sniffed at the air. A feeling of dread seated itself in her belly when she found that she couldn't seem to pick up the scent.

She tried once more and again was only able to pick out the immediate orders around her; a bush of purple berries, the scents of the lake, and a few fire lilies.

She sighed and set Minmin on the ground, he looked up as if telling her to make up her mind, before trotting off. She'd have to rely on him again and hope that he wouldn't get distracted and lead her to something ridiculous.

Azula followed him into the forest, in a direction that looked wholly unfamiliar. _Why do they let me go off alone?_ Azula found herself questioning. She was beginning to lose track of the number of times she had gotten lost.

She came to a halt, "Minmin come over here." She said quietly at first, trying to test how the words sounded on her lips. Upon deciding they suited her well she called the pup over for real.

In seconds he bounded back over to her side.

Azula looked back in the direction of the river, deciding that it was best to follow it. Eventually she'd have to run into something familiar. Perhaps she'd find Black Rock, a boulder surrounded by arrows both broken and whole. Ever since the odd men came in and scorched it, it had been something of a landmark. A fearsome one, but a landmark no less. Her entire pack seemed to avoid it like they did the fire that had licked it.

The princess walked a few short paces before coming to a stop. No longer hearing Minmin's paws as he padded along, Azula tossed a glance over her shoulder.

To her displeasure but not shock, the pup had stubbornly planted his butt on the ground.

"Minmin, come on." Azula hollered. "Minmin!"

She watched his tail arc slow and lazily. He clearly had no intention of moving unless it was in his desired direction or she picked him up. Azula sighed and walked back over to the pup. "It's going to get dark. You don't want to be out here when that happens.

Minmin looked at her as if she'd just suggested the dumbest thing he'd heard in ages before standing up and tugging at the hem of her new robe.

"Quit it." Azula muttered. "I just got this."

The pup stopped his tugging, opting to dash off again instead giving Azula no good choice but to follow him.

Just when Azula felt she could run no further, the pup came to an abrupt stop before readying himself to pounce. Before she could grab hold of him he made his leap, her fingers just brushing the ends of the fur on his tail.

She heard a distinct thump, "Ow!"

"Aang are you okay?" Shouted another voice.


	6. Pounce

**I should probably note that this AU takes place between The Search and S &S.**

 **Also I really wanted to call this chapter 'Leaf me Alone I'm Bushed'.**

* * *

Azula grumbled to herself, the pup was certainly going to get her into trouble of some sort. She hoped with every bit of herself that he didn't happen up on the men with arrows. Come to think of it, she hadn't heard a noise out of him since the boy he pounced yelled 'ow'. She held her breath, listening for his yips or yelps. She bit the inside of her cheek. She took a hesitant step closer to where she last heard him.

Before Azula could move any further, Minmin bounded back to her side with the most joyous look she'd ever seen. Upon reaching her he began tugging at her robe again with a few playful snarls.

Azula looked down at the excited pup and watched him disappear again. Gripping at the hem of her sleeve she stepped out of the thickets. Her arrival was met with four alarmed faces. Minmin dashed back and forth between she and the four. He finally settled on leaping back into her arms where he disappeared into her sleeves and reappeared, climbing onto her shoulders.

With nothing to say, Azula turned to leave. She didn't have time to try to speak human anyhow. She had to find the charred rock—even if seeing it would call fourth unwanted memories. Memories of those men and their fire. Being so deep in her planning and mental preparation she didn't hear her name when it was called. Even if she had, she wouldn't have registered its significance.

A rather chilly hand brushed Azula's arm causing her to jump back, unable to regain her balance she found herself caught, half-sitting and half-standing in a bush. Its branches snagged at her hair and left tiny cuts along her arms. "If only standing on two legs came as easy as talking." Azula murmured to Minmin as she worked to untangle her hair from the thorny bush, leaving behind only a couple of particularly stubborn strands. She licked at the blood on her left wrist as Minmin licked at her cheek, leaving her to assume she had attained a gash there as well.

"Are you okay?" Asked the boy with the arrows.

Azula inspected her arms once more, front and back and nodded affirmatively.

The boy extended his hand with a rather apprehensive expression. She took it with an equal amount of hesitance, but at least she was on her feet again and she didn't have to struggle to get up on her own.

"What are you doing out here?" Questioned a boy with darker skin, his hand gripped firmly at an object Azula had no name for. Noticing her gaze he gave the device a pat. "Relax I won't throw it at you again. Unless you do something to make me."

 _Is that supposed to mean something to me?_ The words were on the tip of her tongue and ready to come out, but Azula thought better of it lest she find out. He was used to being human, she was not— _a very clear disadvantage_ , she decided. Of course she could pounce on him like Minmin had pounced the arrow boy, but it probably wouldn't be an effective move in this form. So she sat down instead.

"What are you doing out here?" The other boy asked again.

Azula shrugged. "I don't know. I don't remember."

The boy opened his mouth to speak. But was cut off by a girl who looked similar to himself. "Well this is the Forgetful Valley."

"In that case, I'm Aang." The boy with the arrows introduced himself.

Azula tapped her chin trying to recall the name Aang had used whist trying to get her attention. "Apparently I'm Azula." She replied upon remembering it.

"That's Sokka." He pointed the other boy, "you can put your boomerang away now."

"Can I?" He asked.

Aang rolled his eyes. "Katara is his sister. And Toph is the one who hasn't said anything yet."

"I'll say something if I have something to say." The girl in question shrugged.

Azula glanced around their small makeshift shelter absently stroking Minmin's head. She must have stroked a little too hard for he gave her hand a soft nip. When she looked up from his fur she was once again met with four sets of eyes. "Is there a problem?"

The silence she was met with seemed to make petting Minmin had become the most fascinating thing in the world.

"This is all your fault." Azula muttered against one of the pup's ears.

"Well…um…" Aang started. "It's kind of a long story." He looked up at the darkening sky. "We can talk about it in the morning."

Azula nodded again. She stood, looking for a nice place to lie down for the night. She watched the siblings re-treat into some makeshift cloth shelter and Toph into a similar shelter crafted of stone.

"You want to join us in the tent." Aang pointed at the cloth shelter.

Azula shook her head and curled herself up under a nearby tree. She felt Minmin trying to find his way out of her robes. Upon popping his head out of the neck hole he decided to call it quits and stay there. He snuggled up against the crook of her neck.

"If you're sure." Aang replied.

"I am." Azula shut her eyes, slinging one arm over Minmin and the other under her head. She scowled to herself; finding a comfortable sleeping position was just one more thing she need to figure out how to do as a human.


End file.
